» Lockerbie bomber played pivotal role in stockpiling chemical weapons in Libya

Lockerbie bomber played pivotal role in stockpiling chemical weapons in Libya

Published: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 15:16 [IST]

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London, Nov. 29 (ANI): Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi was implicated in the purchase and development of chemical weapons by Libya, the US has claimed.

According to documents produced by the US State Department, Megrahi sought to buy 1,000 letter bombs from Greek arms dealers while working as a Libyan intelligence officer.

The papers raise further questions about the wisdom of the Scottish government in releasing the convicted bomber on compassionate grounds in August.

Written in 1992, the documents were based on information gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency to bolster the case against Libya for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 which killed 270 people, Times Online reports.

The documents allege: "An alMegrahi subordinate operating in Germany in 1988 played an important role in acquiring and shipping chemical weapons precursors to Libya. Al-Megrahi is also linked to a senior manager of Libya's chemical weapons development programme."

Colonel Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, was suspected of seeking to stockpile chemical and biological weapons.

"Megrahi's deep involvement in Libya's most sensitive, high-priority procurement operations indicates that he enjoyed the fullest confidence of Libya's leadership," they add.

In 1987 Megrahi was appointed director of Libya's Centre for Strategic Studies, a unit that served the military procurement department.

Megrahi was released from prison in Greenock on August 20 after Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill received advice that he was terminally ill with prostate cancer.

A spokesman for the US State Department said: "We maintain our position that Megrahi should have served out the entirety of his sentence in Scotland for his part in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103." (ANI)